1987
Princess Ponies and Attendants
(Everyone dreams of being a princess!)
The Princess Ponies and Dragon attendants, as
seen in Hasbro's 1987 booklet
(Image courtesy of Pranceatron)
The Princess Ponies and Dragon attendants, as
seen in Hasbro's 1987 booklet
(Image courtesy of Pranceatron)
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"New for 1987, the Princess Ponies have just arrived in Ponyland - each followed by their faithful dragon. Little girls will adore these royal ponies with their luxurious, sparkling hair and jewelled rump markings. Each Princess comes with her own dragon, damsel hat, wand, ribbon, brush or comb and sticker."
~Hasbro UK, 1987
The Princess Ponies were first introduced in 1987. They were
sold in many different countries, but there are a lot of
variations between releases.
This original set of Princesses was sold in the UK in 1987 and
in 1988. There appears to be no difference between the packages
for the 1987 and 1988 release.
Some years ago, LadyGuinevere did a survey of Princess Ponies in the UK. The results, while largely anecdotal, demonstrated that accessories were not consistent across the UK release. It is possible that there were variations between 1987 and 1988, but because the packaging is the same, it is difficult to nail this down. On the individual pages I have recorded the most common/demonstrable Mint in Package sourced accessories, but it is good to remember that these are not consistent and your pony may have originally come with something else
All Princess Ponies in the UK were sold with the following:
The Princess Ponies had distinct characters in the UK comics,
which were (sorry) far superior to those portrayed in the
animated series. Over here, all six ponies were named
after gemstones - Ruby, Pearl, Sapphire, Amber, Amethyst and
Aquamarine. Princess Ponies were sold in the majority of
countries with gemstone names - either in English (UK, Nordic
countries, Netherlands) or in translation (Italy, Germany,
France). Gemstone names were also used in Mexico for their
domestically made line.
Each Princess in the UK was sold with a dragon that matched or
complimented the colouring of the Princess.
The Princesses were also released in North America in 1987, and
were replaced by a new set of Princesses in 1988. They came with
attendants, but instead of dragons, they were sold with
'bushwoolies'. These funny, fluffy creatures were first
introduced in the animated special, Escape from Catrina, and
appeared in several animated episodes, including Sweet Stuff and
the Treasure Hunt, and, the Quest of the Princess Ponies.
The names used in North America were Tiffany, Primrose,
Starburst, Royal Blue, Sparkle and Serena. These names were only
used in the USA and Canada (where there was also a French
version of the name). There is no evidence of them ever being
used in Europe, although some end-of-line misfit Princess Ponies
appeared in American-print boxes in the UK in the mid 1990s.
Although most countries used gemstone names, the Quest of the
Princess Pony animation, and early American-based ID sites have
popularised these alternate names.
Although the bushwoolies in the animation were never given
specific names, the six bushwoolies sold with the Princesses did
all have their own identity. Some of them were able to hold or
balance the Princess's wand, but I am not sure if that was on
purpose.
As noted above, Princess Ponies were sold in a number of
countries.
The Princess Ponies were released in Italy in uniquely
designed Italian packaging. The boxes were blue, with a pink
Dream Castle style inlay. The Italian release had dragons,
as can be seen in the below image:
The Netherlands - and possibly the whole of the Benelux
- also appear to have had dragons. Although it is
unclear exactly how they were packaged in this region,
it seems likely that they probably had the same boxes as
the UK, either translated or in English with a
Dutch/French label. Dragons have been found loose at
Kingsday markets in the Netherlands, and this advert
clearly indicates they were part of the release.
France and Germany also had the Princess Ponies, but in these countries, there were no attendants, and the ponies were sold on card.
"Princesse Saphir"
Princess Pony Mint on Card, France, 1988
Image from Babydoll
This release was likely around 1988, based on the
style of the card. The Princesses also appear on the 1988 insert
in France. The art is the same for the ponies as appears on the
UK equivalent, but there are no attendants in situ. In France,
the Princesses followed the pattern of gemstone names - they
were called Saphir, Aigue-Marine, Perle, Ambre, Amethyste and
Rubis.
